First of all, if we talk about the design of the phone, the design of Honor 8 Lite is similar to the Honor 8 smartphone. This smartphone looks attractive, especially the black color variant. We spent time with the black color variant only. The phone has 2.5D curved edges on the front and rear, surrounded by a metal frame and it looks like Samsung’s Galaxy A-series. Manufacturers have used glass to give the device a premium feel and the Honor 8 delivers the same. The rear of the phone does not get marked as easily as the front, but fingerprints do remain on it. The phone feels sturdy overall due to the metal frame, but the physical buttons are a bit disappointing.
The volume rocker and power button are given on the right side of the phone. While on the left side there is a hybrid dual-SIM tray. Users can choose between two Nano SIMs or one Nano SIM and a microSD card option. The design of the phone has been changed somewhat compared to Honor 8. For example, the Honor 8 Lite has two speaker grilles at the bottom and a single 3.5mm audio socket at the top. Whereas in Honor 8, a speaker grill and connector was given at the bottom.
Due to the Honor 8 being a ‘Lite variant’, some features have been reduced in the phone, such as the fingerprint sensor on the rear which does not work like a physical button when double tapped. Apart from this, the phone has a single camera instead of dual rear camera.
With a thickness of 7.6mm the phone feels comfortable in the hand and easy to hold. However, for some users, the glass rear may cause the phone to slip. Weighing in at 147 grams, the Honor 8 Lite smartphone is a bit lighter than the Honor 8, and it shouldn’t be a problem to use throughout the day. We will reserve our judgment on the phone’s comfort and design until a detailed review of the phone.
When we reviewed the Honor 8, we liked its Full HD display. And the Honor 8 Lite also did not disappoint us. The new device features a 5.2-inch full HD (1080×1920) display, just like the Honor 8, and we liked its colors too. The new version of EMUI comes with Eye Comfort Mode which gives a yellow feel to everything. According to the company, this makes the screen comfortable for the eyes.
Honor 8 Lite runs on EMUI 5.0 which is based on Android 7.0 Nougat. The phone has Huawei’s octa-core Kirin 655 processor which comes with 4 GB RAM. This phone has 64 GB storage which can be expanded up to 128 GB via microSD card. In the short time we spent with the handset, we found the UI quite simple. We did not face any problem while switching apps and all the apps ran quickly. However, sometimes the device does not recognize touches such as when increasing or decreasing brightness. The fingerprint sensor is very fast and many times you may find that you have accidentally unlocked the phone.
Huawei has made some useful design changes in EMUI 5.0, which makes working with the phone clearer and easier than before. It has a stunning blue theme. The biggest change is the app drawer option. This will be very useful for those who do not want to see all the icons on the home screen in one widget. Apart from this, there are some performance and security upgrades in the phone. Swiping left opens Highboard, a Flipboard-like service that lets you see the day’s stories along with app suggestions and a universal search bar.
Along with this, the phone has an SOS calling feature especially for India, which can be contacted in case of emergency. Apart from this, Hindu and Islamic calendars have also been integrated into the English calendar app.
Honor 8 Lite has a 12-megapixel rear camera which is equipped with aperture F/2.2 and autofocus. The phone has an 8-megapixel selfie camera which comes with 77 degree wide-angle lens and aperture F/2.0. The photos we took in natural light came with good detail, but some colors looked too bright while others looked washed out. Autofocus also didn’t work as fast as we expected. The front camera also takes good outdoor shots, helped by the wide angle lens. We’ll reserve judgment on photo quality and camera performance until a detailed review is done.
By swiping right in the camera app, you will see modes and filters. Pro mode allows you to change the ISO value and settings to your liking. By swiping left, Settings lets you set resolution, frame grid, and timer, among other things.
Honor 8 Lite has a 3000 mAh battery. We couldn’t test the battery life of the phone in a short period of time, so you’ll have to wait for our detailed review.
Looking at the specifications, the Honor 8 Lite should be priced under Rs 20,000. The phone will compete with Moto G5 Plus and Vivo V5S. Stay tuned to Gadgets 360 to read our detailed review of the Honor 8 Lite’s performance, build, camera quality and battery life.